IN March 2019, some 10,000 households across the National Capital Region (NCR) experienced the worst water supply shortage in decades.
For days, water did not flow from the taps, and many were forced to line up on the streets, awaiting water rations from trucks provided by water utility companies. In some condominiums, unit owners were even forced to draw water from swimming pools.
Water-supply shortage is a perennial problem for the more than 12 million residents of the NCR, or Metropolitan Manila, during the dry season, which starts in March until the onset of the wet season in June.
Around 97 percent of the water supply for the NCR comes from a single source some 45.3 kilometers away—the Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan.
Alarming level
IN a news statement posted on its website on January 3, 2022, the National Water Regulatory Board (NWRB) said that as of December 31, 2021, the Angat Dam elevation is at 202.80 meters, which is 9.2 meters below the normal high water level of 212 meters.
While there was a slight increase in the water level with some rainfall brought about by the northeast monsoon, such is not enough to fill the dam to near its ideal year-end elevation.
Meanwhile, based on weather forecasting by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the occurrence of the La Niña phenomenon, which started in October 2021, will continue to persist until March 2022.
This means that rainfall could be enhanced by the northeast monsoon from January to February, which could provide more precipitation.
However, this could only bring near normal rainfall in the Angat watershed area in the first semester of this year.
The good news is: With the current status of Angat Dam and the forecasted rainfall in the watershed, the dam may reach its minimum operating level of 180 meters in the middle of April 2022.
Water level projections for the first semester of 2022 show there is sufficient water supply until the onset of the rainy season by the middle part of the year, but there is a need to manage the releases from the dam as a precaution for any significant changes in the projections, it says.
Conserve water—NWRB
THIS early, the NWRB is alarmed by the water situation in the Angat Reservoir and is appealing to the public to conserve water and avert yet another shortage.
Sevillo David, Executive Director of the NWRB, told the BusinessMirror in a telephone interview that current water level in Angat as of January 13, 2022, is slightly above 200 meters above sea level (masl). This is already over 10 meters below the normal high water level of 212 meters, he said.
With this water level, the official said, there’s a need to call for water conservation measures to ensure the sustainable supply of water until the onset of the rainy season in June.
“We just want to be ready. As of 6 am, water level is at 200 masl. This is much lower compared to the water level we had during the same period last year,” says David.
Recycle, save clean water
ACCORDING to David, water conservation measure is a must, on top of limiting the use of clean water.
“If we can recycle, we should recycle. If we usually wash our hands for 20 seconds, we can do it by turning off the faucet while not in use and turn it on if we will really start washing,” he said.
The NWRB is also encouraging using “used” water in flushing toilets, or in watering plants.
He said continuous flow of water from the taps while washing hands is wasteful and can be avoided. This, he said, can help save clean water.
David said water conservation can also be done while brushing teeth, turning the faucet off when the glass is full, and turning it on only to refill.
Water allocation steady…for now
DAVID said despite the situation, NWRB has decided to continue the current water allocation for Metro Manila, which is 48 cubic meters per second. This, he said, is to ensure steady supply of water, which is essential in helping fight the spread of Covid-19.
At the current water supply allocation, he said, demand for Metro Manila could still be met as he underscored the need for reliable water source, especially during the pandemic.
David said the NWRB will continue to monitor the water level in Angat and come up with measures that will ensure a steady supply, even if it means slightly reducing water allocation for domestic use, or for irrigation needs of farms in Pampanga and Bulacan.
Maynilad, Manila Water preparations
PRIVATE water concessionaires Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company are not taking the water situation in Angat sitting down.
Sought for comment, both Maynilad, which serves the West Zone of the NCR, and Manila Water, which serves the East Zone, are already gearing up for the possible effect of reduced water allocation to avert another crisis reminiscent of the 2019 water crisis in Metro Manila.
Alternative sources
IN an e-mail reply to questions, Maynilad said the company has projects that will help augment its water supply in case the water allocation from Angat Dam is reduced anew.
These include the construction of two modular treatment plants in Cavite designed to draw water from nearby rivers.
Maynilad has also reactivated deep wells in some locations. It is also ready to reactivate more deep wells in the coming months.
Furthermore, Maynilad said the company has intensified its leak repair and pipe replacement activities to help conserve clean water flowing through its pipes.
“We would like to minimize the impact of the reduced allocation [on] the water supply to our customers. We are already working with MWSS [Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System] regarding this,” Maynilad said.
“Even if we have supply augmentation measures, we would still like to remind the public to practice responsible water use,” the company added.
Supply augmentation
FOR its part, Manila Water expressed appreciation to the MWSS Board for, firstly, approving projects that will allow the company to provide additional water sources and supply augmentation, especially for the coming dry months now that the Angat Dam fell short of the targeted normal water level of 212 masl.
These projects are:
1. Maximization of the capacity of Cardona Water Treatment Plant at 100 million liters of water per day (MLD)
2. Operation of deep wells that can provide an additional supply of 115 MLD
3. Operation of the 20 MLD Marikina Potable Water Treatment Plant
Secondly, Manila Water thanked the MWSS and NWRB for allowing the company to “harness groundwater through deep wells as part of our contingency and augmentation measures.”
“Third, we can also recover backwash water to add to our supply and harness water from the Alat Dam, located upstream of La Mesa,” Manila Water told the BusinessMirror.
Responsible water use
“ALTHOUGH these supply augmentation measures are in place, we continue to advocate responsible use of water with our government partners, MWSS and NWRB. We believe that the conservation of our water resources is a shared responsibility of the government and the concessionaires who closely coordinate with each other to provide the needed water supply, and the general public to ensure that water distributed is used wisely and responsibly to be able to avert any water shortage,” Manila Water said.
Meanwhile, the company says it continues to support and work with MWSS for development and implementation of short- to long-term projects to ensure sustainability of future water supply, which include the 80-MLD Calawis Antipolo Source System and the 50-MLD East Bay Phase 1, scheduled for 2023. Other projects being eyed as medium-term water sources include the 200-MLD East Bay Phase 2 from Laguna Lake by 2024, the 438-MLD New Wawa Dam Project, the 600-MLD Kaliwa Dam Project and the 250-MLD Kaliwa River Phase 1A, both targeted by 2025.
“Over the long term, MWSS is looking into the 550-MLD Kaliwa River Phase 1B and the 3,000-MLD Kanan/Agos River Phase 2,” it says.
Moreover, Manila Water said the MWSS projects for the construction of the new 15-km Aqueduct No. 7 and the 6.4-km Tunnel 5 are now on stream to provide another 1,600 MLD to flow towards La Mesa Dam.
“These projects are targeted to be completed by September 2024. The completion of these aqueducts and tunnel system will optimize the flow of excess water from Ipo to La Mesa Dam,” the company said.
Image credits: Junpinzon | Dreastime.com, nwrb.gov.ph